In November 2022, South Australia experienced a ferocious storm that decoupled us from the rest of the electricity grid and felled many local power lines. Functioning as an island, we couldn’t export to the bigger national network, so without that safety valve, SA Power Networks (SAPN) was obliged to pull out all the stops to maintain stability. [Read more…]

Earlier this year in Western Australia, a rule went into effect that all new or altered electricity network connections must have a circuit breaker as the main switch.  In some cases, this circuit breaker will trip if you use more than a piddly 20 Amps in your home. [Read more…]

The federal election is only four weeks away, so I decided to make an in depth study of the environmental policies of all major political parties and rank them from best to worst:

• Greens
• Labor
• Coalition

That didn’t take long. [Read more…]

Last year the International Energy Agency (IEA) published a long report where — among other things — they predicted the rate of new nuclear construction would roughly double.  When I first read this, I considered it nearly impossible.  But now Russia has invaded Ukraine, I consider it flat out impossible. [Read more…]

Australia recently decided to buy nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS pact with the UK and United States. 

Assuming it goes ahead, the first sub may be ready around 2040.  But while our submarines may have nuclear reactors, our power stations never will. [Read more…]

The ACT’s Sustainable Household Scheme will soon be in full operation.  It makes zero-interest, zero-fee loans available to households for rooftop solar, batteries, electric car chargers and energy efficiency measures such as replacing gas appliances.  In the future, it will be available for new and used electric vehicles. [Read more…]

Was the Victorian solar panel rebate necessary? SolarQuotes founder Finn Peacock suggests it’s had no effect on solar demand in Victoria. [Read more…]

South Australian Labor clearly hope their new Hydrogen Plan can help them win back power in the March 2022 state election.

Will their huffing of hydrogen hype lift them higher than a zeppelin, or will it bomb? [Read more…]

Long-distance transmission sends electrical energy from where it’s generated to where it’s used.  If we had more of it, electricity prices would be lower, and the integration of solar and wind farms would be easier.  Thanks to record low-interest rates, more of it is exactly what we’re going to get.   [Read more…]

Yesterday at the National Press Club, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the following:

“Our goal is to reach net-zero emissions as soon as possible, and preferably by 2050.”

My response was, “Thank god for that.” Twenty-nine years to get our emissions down to zero is a lot more time than we should be spending, but it looked as though our PM had come a long way from the days he pranced around Parliament, lovingly cradling a lump of coal.

[Read more…]